Top 10 First Date Faux Pas

10 First Date Screw-Ups That Will Instantly Ruin Your Chances

First dates tend to make most people nervous, but you can eliminate some of your first date nerves by planning out what to do — and, perhaps even more importantly, what not to do. So to help you out, here are the top 10 first date faux pas, so you can learn from others’ mistakes and impress the socks off your date:

1. Being Late

If you’re going to be any more than 5-10 minutes late, text your date to let them know. If you’re going to be more than 15 minutes late, even if you’ve let her know, you’re being rude, and you’re blowing it. Make an effort to be on time to show her that her time is important to you.

2. Appearing Cheap

Nobody wants to date a person who’s chronically tight with money, so make sure you are coming across as relaxed on this front. Gone are the days where men are automatically assumed to be footing the whole bill, so if you’d prefer to split it, that’s okay. (So is paying for the whole meal, if you’d like to!) But if you’re pulling out your pen, paper and calculator and divvying up every last drink and side? Chill: you’re giving off very bad signals.

3. Dominating The Conversation

Try to be an inviting, polite conversationalist on first dates, and at all other times. If you’re rambling without pausing for a breath, talking only about yourself or interrupting your date whenever she’s speaking, you’re going to have her running for the hills. Be sure to ask her questions and allow her space to voice her own views, too.

4. Dropping The Ball On The Venue

It’s not a great idea to go to a movie, as a stand-alone activity, on the first date. Why not? Because you won’t have a chance to talk to each other or get to know the other person. It’s okay to see a movie before or after a drink or dinner, but don’t make it the only thing you’re doing, at least not until the third or fourth date.

Similarly, if you’re eating out, don’t choose a chaotically busy and loud restaurant, or somewhere where you’ll both end up with food poisoning. Make sure your venue is ambient, pleasant and non-distracting. (Or you could play it safe and go out for drinks.)

5. Coming On Too Strongly

You might be hoping to get some action on your date, but you'll blow it if you come on too strongly and try to force a hook up before it occurs naturally. If you find yourself pleading or begging to be let into her apartment or for her to come back to yours, you’ve gone way too far down the desperation trail, unfortunately. Rein it in — if she's into you, you'll get your shot on a subsequent date.

6. Talking About Your Ex

Talking about your ex — whether it’s to rant about how “crazy” she is, or to pine about how perfect she was — is a bad look. Why? Because whether you’re speaking positively or negatively about her, it gives the impression you aren’t over her yet.

It’s natural to veer on topics like how long your last relationship was, but don’t take it as an excuse to wax lyrical about everything that was wrong with her, or everything you miss about her. You’ll only bore your date and signal that you’re not ready for something new yet.

7. Treating Service Staff Badly

Women widely report the poor treatment of service staff as a turn off. It’s an early indication of how you might treat her, and it also reveals key aspects of your personality, like how quick you are to anger and how entitled you might be about getting your own way. Failing to tip appropriately is also a certain faux pas: It makes you come across and tight and unappreciative, so make sure you tip fairly and generously.

8. Poor Phone Etiquette

It’s fine to take an important call during a date if something that you absolutely need to deal with comes up, but you shouldn’t be glued to your phone all night and you should apologize if you do need to bring out your phone (“Sorry, I have to take this one! Be back ASAP!”) This shows that your focus is on your date and avoids giving her the impression she’s boring you or wasting your time.

9. Having Bad Breath Or Body Odor

Basic cleanliness and hygiene is important, and it’s one of the quickest ways for an otherwise good date to go downhill. Make sure you have clean, short nails, you’re wearing deodorant and you’ve brushed your teeth. They might sound like basic things, and they are, but they’re still disappointingly common first date faux pas.

10. Not Caring How Your Date Gets Home

However your date goes, basic decency dictates that you should take steps to ensure that your date gets home safely. Escorting her to her car or door (without pressure to come inside) is a nice gesture, as is asking her to confirm she gets home safely. Even if you won’t be seeing your date again or you’ve been rebuffed, that’s no reason to act like she’s suddenly dead to you. Do the kind thing and make sure she arrives home in one piece.

In the end, a successful first date boils down to a few key things: friendliness, respect and basic rules of attraction. I hate to sound like your grandma, but if you stick to the Golden Rule of treating others how you’d like to be treated, you will guarantee yourself positive, successful dates for years to come.